Page:History of New South Wales from the records, Volume 1.djvu/252

 the river. 148 PHILLIP 1789 The next morning they set off in the boats at daybreak ; June, passed Mullet Island — so named from the quantity of mullet Mj^^J and other fish they had caught there on their last visit to it— and then got into the river^ reaching a point within three or four miles of the place at which they had turned back three weeks before. There they camped for the night. On the following day they started again at daybreak^ and after they had gone a very short distance they found the river divided into two branches^ one leading to the north-west and the other to the south. Following the former, they rowed all day up the stream, the banks of which were generally Rowing up immense perpendicular mountains of barren rock"; in some places low marshy points covered with reeds or rushes ^^ intervening between the banks and the mountains. Having found a tolerably dry spot at the foot of one of these hills, they camped for the night. Their progress next day was considerably checked by large trees which had fallen from the banks, reaching almost across the river. It was now so narrow as hardly to deserve the shAUow name ; and at last they f oimd they had scarcely room for the oars or water enough to float the boats. Nothing was left but to go back ; their estimated distance at this point from Mullet Island being thirty-four miles. Continuing their way down, they entered the southern branch of the river by six o'clock in the evening, and then camped. Proceeding up this part of it next day, they found it i^ain divided into two other branches. Taking the one to the north, they found the water gradually becoming shoally, the depth being four to twelve feet ; but Phillip, thinking that ''it might lead to a good country, determined to go as high as the boats could Anoiher find Water.'' They followed the windings of the stream as far as they could go, and managed to cover about thirteen miles of it ; the banks being much the same as those of the last, " high, steep, and rocky mountains, with many trees growing down their sides from between the rocks, where no one would believe there could be any soil to nourish them.'' water. march. Digitized by Google